Martin Strel: 60-year-old man plans to swim through 107 countries in 450 days

The seasoned marathon swimmer hopes to raise awareness on water pollution through his 24,000-mile journey in March 2016: 'It's not such a big deal'

Martin Strel has a goal: swim more than 24,000 miles around the world to raise awareness of aquatic pollution.

The 60-year-old marathon swimmer will embark on this journey on 22 March 2016, which he announced last week, before displaying his swimming prowess in the rainy New York Harbor. Strel swam the 2.2-mile stretch between the Statue of Liberty and the marina near the World Trade Center in about an hour - a regular morning workout for the man who has swum the entire length of five large rivers.